The entrance requirements are set for all Colleges of Education offering this course by the Department of Education and Skills. The following description of these requirements is taken from the Department's website.

Conditions of Eligibility

Applicants must have the following academic qualifications: (a) an honours Bachelor degree (level 8 on the National Framework of Qualifications) or a qualification at level 9 or 10 on the National Framework of Qualifications, and (b) one of the following sets of second level qualifications: (i) in the Leaving Certificate Examination from 1969 onwards: a grade C3 or above in Higher Level Irish; a grade D3 or above in Mathematics (Ordinary or Higher level); and a grade C3 or above in English (Ordinary level) or grade D3 or above in English (Higher level); (ii) in the Leaving Certificate Examination prior to 1969, Honours in Irish and passes in English and Mathematics; or (iii) in the Northern Ireland GCSE and GCE A Level Examinations: a Grade C at GCE A Level Irish; a Grade C at GCSE Level in both English and English Literature or Grade B at GCSE Level in either; and a Grade D at GCSE Level in Additional Mathematics or a Grade A at GCSE Level in Mathematics.

Applicants must provide evidence to the Colleges of Education that their honours Bachelor degree is placed at level 8 on the National Framework of Qualifications . Holders of level 9 or 10 qualifications must also provide evidence of their award's position on the NFQ. This should be included with the completed application form.

Alternatives to second level qualifications in Irish, English or Maths

A Pass in a University First Arts Examination in Irish, English or Mathematics will be accepted in lieu of the Leaving Certificate Examination/GCE/GCSE requirement for the relevant subject.

In the case of Irish, a Grade C in the Matriculation Examination (which existed up to 1992) will also be accepted in lieu of the Leaving Certificate Examination/GCE/GCSE requirement. In addition, the Dioplóma sa Ghaeilge from NUI Maynooth, the Diploma in Arts (Applied Irish) from University College Cork, the Dioplóma sa Ghaeilge Fheidhmeach from UCD, the Dioplóma sa Ghaeilge, Level C1, NUIG, the Dióploma sa Ghaeilge (An Ghaeilge sa Saol Comhaimseartha), University of Limerick and the Diploma in Irish at the University of Ulster, are accepted as satisfying the Leaving Certificate Examination/GCE/GCSE requirement.

In the case of Mathematics, a Pass in that subject in the Matriculation Examination will also be accepted in lieu of the Leaving Certificate Examination/GCSE requirement.

Selection Procedure

Eligible applicants will be required to undergo an Interview and an Oral Irish test. The results of these tests will be graded and allocated points as follows:

Interview Oral Irish A 100 A 40 A- 90 B 32 B 80 C 24 B- 70 D 16 C 60 E Fail C- 50 - D 40 - E Fail -

Applicants who get a "fail" grade in either the Interview or oral Irish test will be eliminated from the competition. Qualified applicants will be placed in order of merit as determined by the results of the Interview and Oral Irish test. Where two or more applicants obtain the same points total, their placement on the order of merit will be determined by random selection. There will be two separate order of merit lists: one common list for all of the Dublin Colleges and a separate list for Mary Immaculate College, Limerick. Each College will fill its places by reference to the relevant order of merit and the College preferences of successful applicants.

The purpose of the Interview is to ascertain the suitability of the applicant for participation in a primary teacher education course. Part of the Interview may be conducted through Irish.

The Oral Irish test will comprise:-

• conversation on everyday topics and on books read by the applicant; and • reading correctly and intelligently a suitable passage of prose or poetry and explaining the matter read.

Applicants should note that a high standard of fluency is required in the Oral Irish test and should prepare for the test accordingly. Applicants will be advised by the relevant Centre (Dublin or Limerick) of the date, time, venue, etc, of their Interview and Oral Irish test and must attend these tests at their own expense. The location will be either Dublin or Limerick.

General Information

Student grants: Grants will be available from Local Authorities to those who satisfy the conditions of the Higher Education Grants Scheme. Details will be available from the Local Authority of the area in which the applicant is ordinarily resident.

Medical requirements: The Department of Education and Science's Rules for National Schools require that before a student is admitted to a College of Education, the medical officer of the college must certify that s/he is of sound and healthy constitution and free from any mental or physical defect likely to impair his/her usefulness as a teacher; the medical certificate shall include any such details as the Minister may require. The Colleges will advise students as to the procedure to be followed in this regard.

Proficiency in spoken Irish: All student teachers in Colleges of Education are required to attend a 3 week course in the Gaeltacht at the end of their first year. It should be noted that this is a compulsory part of the course.

During this full-time teacher education course, participants may not engage in business or in any other course of study without the prior permission of the College President.

Further information regarding the course is available from the applicant's College of choice.

November 2009

Courses sanctioned by the Department of Education and Skills are advertised in the public press with details of closing dates for application.

Like the degree of Bachelor in Education (B.Ed), the Higher Diploma in Education (Primary) is a professional qualification which provides for the academic and professional requirements of primary school teachers. For the next three years, starting in September 2010, the H.Dip course will be taught exclusively on the Froebel Blackrock campus. Students will register and have their degrees accredited by NUI Maynooth, with whom Frobel College have announced a partnership in April 2010. All new H.Dip students will have full access to the libraries and facilities on both the Froebel Blackrock and on the NUI Maynooth campus.

In September 2013, Froebel College will move from its Blackrock campus to a new, purpose-built Froebel Education Centre on the NUI Maynooth campus. 

Those students who are currently enrolled as H.Dip. 2010/11 students with Froebel College will complete their Trinity College accredited course on the Froebel campus,  and will continue to have access to the Trinity library and to Trinity facilities.

• Arts Education (Visual Arts, Drama, Music)
• Educational Psychology, including Child Development
• English
• English Methods
• History of Education
  
• ICT
• Inclusive Education (Special Education Needs, Educational Disadvantage, Intercultural Education)
  
• Irish
• Irish Methods
• Mathematics
• Mathematics Methods
• Philosophy of Education
  
• Physical Education
  
• Professional Development
  
• Religious Education
• Social, Environmental and Scientific Education (SESE)
• Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE)
• Sociology of Education
  
• Teaching Practice